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dia-

1 American  

  1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek (diabetes; dialect ) and used, in the formation of compound words, to mean “passing through” (diathermy ), “thoroughly,” “completely” (diagnosis ), “going apart” (dialysis ), and “opposed in moment” (diamagnetism ).

dia. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. diameter.

dia- British  

prefix

  1. through, throughout, or during

    diachronic

  2. across

    diactinic

  3. apart

    diacritic

  4. (in botany) at right angles

    diatropism

  5. in opposite or different directions

    diamagnetism
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dia– Scientific  

  1. A prefix meaning “through” or “across,” as in diameter, the length of a line going through a circle.

Etymology

Origin of dia-

< Greek, combining form representing diá (preposition) through, between, across, by, of, akin to dýo two and di- di- 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tyrone was getting frustrated with the roundabout dia- tribe.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.